Exljbris Font Foundry

Exljbris (pronounced "ex libris") is an independent Dutch type foundry founded by Jos Buivenga in 2005. The foundry became widely known through its innovative "free plus premium" model, offering free weights of high-quality typefaces to build awareness.

The Museo Story

Museo Sans and Museo Slab were among the first typefaces to gain widespread adoption through the free weights model. By offering 300, 500, and 500 Italic weights for free, Buivenga attracted millions of downloads while premium weights generated revenue. This approach influenced how many independent type designers market their work.

Notable Typefaces

The Exljbris library includes carefully crafted font families:

• Museo Sans - A geometric sans-serif with subtle curves
• Museo Slab - The slab serif counterpart with friendly terminals
• Calluna - An elegant text serif with distinctive details
• Museo Sans Rounded - A softer variant for friendly applications

Design Philosophy

Jos Buivenga's typefaces balance geometric structure with subtle humanist touches. The fonts are designed for excellent readability across print and screen, with careful attention to letter spacing and OpenType features.

Impact on Type Industry

Exljbris helped pioneer the freemium model in type design, demonstrating that giving away some weights could drive sales of premium versions. This approach has since been adopted by many independent foundries.